Mr. LaPierre once referred to agents of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives as "jackbooted thugs."

According to a CBS report, the powerful organization of shooting enthusiasts and firearms manufacturers is blaming Mr. Holder's leadership for an unfolding scandal involving alleged BATFE complicity in the sales of assault weapons and handguns to smugglers who then "walked" the firing pieces across the border to Mexico.